Flexible Work Practices

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 September 2021

Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Ceisteanna (206)

Emer Higgins

Ceist:

206. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Health the steps taken by his Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within his Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; his plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45370/21]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Health

In line with the Government campaign - #MakingRemoteWork – I am supportive of facilitating all reasonable and practical applications for blended working, while ensuring the continued effective and efficient delivery of business. My Department has established an internal Blended Working Group involving key corporate functional areas which is examining the practical implications of facilitating blended working by staff in the Department of Health. This will be ongoing over the coming months and will take account of central policy on blended working from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

My Department implemented the necessary remote working infrastructure as an early response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which was facilitated through existing contracts. This includes secure remote access to videoconferencing, email and file systems. 100% of departmental staff continue to have access to these facilities as we move towards a blended working solution.